Torpedo-guard for ships.



E. MATTSON. TOHPEDO GUARD FOR SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED JuLv 3,1911.

1,256,346 Patented Feb.,12, 19181.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A TTR/VEYS E. MATTSON. TORPEDO GUARD FOR SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED JULY s. 19u.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

E. MATTSON.

' ToHPEDo GUARD Fon SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED )ULY 3.19I7.

l ,25 6, 346 Patented Feb. 12, "1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l 22 13 2 bq gg OFS yg Q E Q :r s# e S o f Y Ln' MVT l n g e e l\ e @e an n L ll m v1- S 2,? sg Q 0 L2 Ld Q ,Q

Uw n N 2*- j e ---w w//vfssfs M EJV/asorz A TI'OHNEYS ERIK MATTSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TORPED-GUARD FR SHIPS.

Application filed July 3, 1917.

To all tolto/n t may concern.'

13e it known thatl, ERIK MA'rrsoN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of New York,- borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and. State of New York,- have invented a new and Improved '.lorpedo-Guard for Ships, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to ships and has particular reference to safe y :,ippliances for such carriers.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a guard adapted to be carried upon the ship and in spaced relation to the hull thereof whereby the ship will be protected from danger from torpedoes, mines or other damaging influences, either while in a harbor, at anchor, or while under way at sea.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard. for each side of a Ships hull. with equalizing devices extending over the ship and serving to tend to equalize the suspension action on the two opposite guards irrespective of the rolling or listing of the ship.

Another object of the invention is to improve the facilities for hoisting the guards into erect or idle position close to the side of the ship when desired.

W ith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed. and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating ai-practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure l is a side elevation of the bow or front end of the ship showing my improvement applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, parts being in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3?) of Fig. l and indicating the action ofthe guards and suspension means therefor when the ship has a list or is rolling.

Fig. 4 is a view of the same parts as Fig.- 3 but indicating the guard hoisted at one sideof the hull and down on the other side.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the central part of the structure shown in Fig. 3,

, but indicating especiallyr the Arelative posi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Serial No. 178,339.

tions of the booms and braces when the guard is hoisted, the guard being omitted to avoid confusion.

Figa (i is a vertical transverse section of the same `on the line G-Gof Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail View showing one of the various forms in which the outer ends of the booms and main braces may be articulated or connected; and

Fig. 8 is a detail view of one form of shackle connection for said joint, detached from the booms and braces.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings l. show a ships hull 10 the same being indicated of conventional form or designand provided with a stem 11 and keel 12.

The guard means above referred to includes any suitable structure or design of articulated members 13 assembled in sections and connected in any suitable manner along vertical lines 14@ so that the sections cannet only be easilyY assembled to produce a complete guard adapted to protect one side of the hull from. torpedoes, mines or the like, but in the event of damage to' any one section, the same may be readily replaced with a new one. At either end of the guard is provided an auxiliary section 13 connected at its rear edge to the front edge of the forward section 13 and extending thence diagonally toward the stem 11. 'Ihese auxiliary sections at the ends of the hull may be dispensed with, if desired, with a fair degree of immunity inasmuch as hosA ti-le attacks are usually directed towardthe y midship and also because if either the bow or stern of the ship should be damaged the result is ordinarily not so disastrous as when the damage occurs between the ends of the hull. It follows, therefore, that even though the structure is designed to be used in guarding position while the ship is under way, it is obvious that greater progress may be had without the use of the auxiliary guards 13.

As a preferred means for supporting or manipulating theguards I provide along each side of the hull a plurality of upper and lower pivoted. boonis 15 and 1G, arranged in pairs, and with the pivot of the boom 15 almost directly above that for the lower boom. The pivots for these booms are horizontal and fore and aft of the ship and are secured in any suitable knuckles or sockets 17 and 18 respectively. The upper boom 15 of each pair is adapted in practice to project in a generally perpendicular direction to the side of the ship or so as to occupy a position parallel to and above the surface or the water under ordinary or smooth conditions of the sea. The upper edge of the guard is connected to the outer ends or' all ot the booms 15 through a series of strong springs 19 whereby the guards are adapted to have a certain amount of resilient or cushioning action with respect to the booms. This resilient or cushioning action, however, is designed to be limited in a downward direction by means ot' stays 2O consisting of chains, cables or other strong tlexible members which normally hang idle in loose bights trom the outer ends ot' the booms 15. rlhe lower booms 16 are longer than the upper booms and project downwardly as well as outwardly so as to hold the lower edges of the guards at approximately the level ot' the keel 12. Under normal conditions, even though the knuckles or sockets 13 for the inner ends of the booms 1G may be located at points along the hull at considerable elevation above the level of the keel, it follows that the main guard 13 will be carried in substantially a vertical plane on either side of the hull and parallel thereto.

1While the booms 15 and 16 extend laterally from the hull in vertical planes substantially perpendicular to the sides of the ship, inea-ns must be provided to maintain the booms in their normal vertical planes, or to prevent the turning or twisting of the booms forwardly or rearwardly from such planes. The preferred means t'or ac-. coniplishing this purpose consists in pairs of diagonal braces 21 and 22 connected at their outer ends to the booms 15 and 16 respectively and pivoted at their` inner ends at 23 and 24 respectively, the outer ends having jointed connection at 25 and 2G.

As indicated in the detail views, one of l the members, such as the brace, will have a tongue 2T projected between the two parts of a fork 28 and held together by means ot a pin or bolt 29, the shoulder portion 30 of one part bearing directly against the fork of the other to take the main strain from the pin. As shown best in Fig. 3 the shackle connection is in the form of a double ended loop 31 having eyes 32 on its opposite sides lying tlat against the fork 28 and adapted to be held in place with a certain limited amount of rocking movement upon the pin 29. The loops, or those portions of the shackle connection 3l remote from the eyes 32 are adapted to have connected therewith any desired devices, such for instance as the upper adjacent corners of the guard sections 13 and 13 on the one side, while on the other side is pivotally connected a link or shackle 33 designed primarily for the purpose of manipulating the boom and brace devices as will be described more fully below.

As many ofthe boomsand braces as mayv be desired, especially those adjacent to the bow of the ship and beneath the water, are provided with extra guys or braces indicated in the drawings inthe form of short chains 34 and 35 extending from points 36 and 37 intermediate of the ends ot' the lower boom and bace respectively in a forward direction, or in a direction opposite from which the brace extends from the outer end of the boom to the ship, said other ends of the guys being secured to the hull in any suitable manner at 38 and 3.9 respectively, the latter connection being indicated as being adjacent to the lower socket 18. It is to be understood, however, that with respect to such mechanical details the invention is not to be in any manner unnecessarily restricted. 1t is to be noted, however, that the hull connections t'or the guys should be approximately in axial alinement with the pivots in the sockets 18 and 24 in order to provide for the t'ree upward swinging of the parts when desired.

In carrying out this invention in a practical manner it is contemplated that the standard masts, posts, capstans or winches with which a ship is commonly equipped will be used, and any other analogous devices that may be. necessary.

As above premised, the normal position of each boom 15 is horizontal or perpendicular to the central vertical plane of the ship, but as indicated in Fig. 3 said boom in practice is adapted to swing around its axis in the socket 17 either above or below its normal position with respect to the hull so as to compensate for the rolling or listing ot the ship and maintain the guard devices in protecting position with respect to the bottom of the hull.

At 40 1 show an equalizing cable extending upwardly from the shackle 33 in which it is detachably connected by means of a clevis l1 or its equivalent. The middle portion of this line 40 may consist of a section of chain 40 ruiming over a pulley 42 journaled or otherwise supported upon an elevated support such as a mast 43 with its axis fore and att. As indicated in Fig. 3 it will be appreciated therefore that within certain limits while the ship is listing or rolling and the guard on one side ot' the ship'tends to drop with respect to the upper side of the hull the chain section 40 will roll over the pulley toward that side of the ship, while the guard on the opposite or lower side'of the hull will be correspondingly elevated, the equalizing line 40 always remaining substantially taut when the guard is in operation. This equalizing action or relative lifting and lowering ot' the guards on the opposite sides is provided for, at least in part, by the relative increase of weight of the guard which is lifted from the water by the rolling action of the ship. But a less freely within certain lim-its without af'-l fecting the position of the parts" of the guard.- The' relative' movement of the equallzer line over the pulley42 is limited, however, by an auxiliary section or' guy' ist on each side,one end of each guy being fixed as at 45 to the mast while the outer endis fixed to the equalzing line at 46. When, therefore, the maximum angle of the rolling of the ship is reached, as provided for by the adjustment of the equaliz'ing line', the connections 40 and if on the upper side of the ship will lift the boom 15 or hold the same at a certain angle with respect to the normal horizontal line through the ships hull and pivots of the booms 15. The guy 44 on the other side', however, will be loose and the guard will be supported primarily upon the equalizing line 40. At this point I wish to observe that this specific description of flexible connections is given in the singular for convenience of description, but the same description is to be understood as applicable to all the different guard section connections between the bow and the stern of the ship.

At 47 I showa take-up line, normally more or less slack, connected at its" outer end to the shackle 33 and at its upper or inner end at a fixed point as at 4S on the mast. The function of this take-up is to act in conjunction with the equalizer line 40 and auxiliary guy 1li to sustain the weight of the lifted guard. j j

I will now describe my preferred means or method of hoisting the guards into idle or inoperative position against the side of the hull where the same will occupy a substantally vertical plane close against the ship. At 49 I show a block and tackle operatively connected to a power drum 50 or capstan, the running block 51 of the tackle being detachably connected through a line 52 to the shackle 33 under normal conditions. The block and tackle, with a smooth sea and the guard devices hanging substantially at equal heights at opposite sides of the ship, may be fairly taut and coperate with the equalizing line 40 to sustain the weight of the guard, but during rough weather the devices will be so adjusted that the block and tackle 49 will be loosened somewhat to permit the relative lateral automatic equalization of the guards with respect to the ship. IVhen the ship is in a harbor or out of danger zone and it is desired to hoist the guard either for docking purposes` or making better speed. the guard will be hoisted by drawing. upon the` tackle li9 with the result that the boom 15 will be swung directly up into a vertical position as shown in Figs". 5 and 6, where saidv boom l5 may be locked or clamped by any suitable or convenient means typified by a clamp 55 cooperating with the rail 54 or any other suitable relatively fixed part of the ship'. The tackle line 52 isr then released from the shackle 33, tlietafclrle e9 being: `paid out temporarily, and the line 52 will then be. at taelied to eye pconneoted. to the upper end oli a' hoisting' line 5G running through a dead eye or fair' leader of` any suitable nature at any desired point as at the end. of the boom 15 preferably at the after part thereof. The lower.` end of this hoisting line 56 is fixed permanently at or to the' outer end. of the lower boom 1.6. Power applied to the winch 50 taking up `.the block and tackle will serve to brin-g the boom. 16 up to its vertical position. where it may be held by any suitable means, as for example,- the block and tackle devices used to hoist the same. Under these conditions the guards 13 will be folded or doubled and occupy a position mainly above the Water line. and between thev sliips side and the lower booms 16. The lower boomsl hence will. serve to hold the guards against the shipsA side and tend to prevent damage. thereto either. from the weather' conditions or shipping.

Associated with or secured. to the stern 11 are upper and lower cross heads 57 and 5S through orv over the ends of whiclrare threaded fiexble connections 59 and. 60 respectively whereby the front, upper and lower corners of the auxiliary guard sections 13 are controlled over suitable power devices 61.

I claim:

1. In a torpedo guard for ships,l the combination of a series of upper booms connected at their inner ends to the hull, a series of lowei` booms connected below and parallel to the ends of the upper booms, a flexible reticulated guard member suspended between the outer ends of the upper and lower booms, a series of springs serving as the normal connecting means between the upper booms and the guard member providing for a certain amount of resiliency between the guard member and the upper booms, positive stay means spanning the space between the upper booms and the guard member to limit the extent of resiliency, and means to support the booms so as to hold the guard member in proper spaced relation to the ship.

2. In a torpedo guard for ships, the combination of an upper series of booms pivoted to the upper part of the hull, a series of lower booms pivoted to the hull, the upper booms being shorter than the lower booms while the latter eXtend downwardly Vas well as outwardly, a guard member suspended between the outerl ends of the two series of booms, means connected to the upper booms to control the position and elevation thereof, and a series of hoisting lines connected to the lower ends of the lower booms and having loose movable connection with the upper booms.

3. The-combination with a ship, of torpedo guard, means therefor and carried thereby, said guard means including flexible guard members carried at spaced relation to the opposite sides of the ship, means to support the guard members so as to hold the same spaced, and a series of equalizing lines extending across the ship from one guard member to the other whereby within certain limits the rolling or listing of the ship will not disturb the protective function of the guards.

4f. The combination with a ship, of guard means therefor, said guard means including independent reticulated guard members on opposite sides of the hull, upper and lower booms connected to the hull and serving to support each guard member in spaced relation to the hull, and over-head suspension means to support the guard members and booms, Jsaid over-head suspension means including a series of equalizing lines extending from the outer ends of the upper booms on one side across the ship to the outer ends of the booms on the other side, and antifrction means to support the intermediate portions of the equalizing lines upon a ship.

5. The combination with a ship, of reticulated guard members on opposite sides of the hull and spaced therefrom, booms piv-A oted to the hull and connected to the guard members to hold the same spaced laterally from the hull, but provided for relative independent vertical movement between the side of the hull and the guard member adjacent thereto, vertical supports on the ship, anti-friction means carried by said supports, equalizing lines extending from one side of the ship to the other over said anti-friction means and having their endsconnected to the oppositeJ guard members whereby the rolling of the ship may take place without affecting materially the protective function of the guard members, and means connected to said equalizing lines to limit the relative movement thereof over the anti-friction means.

6. rlfhe combination with a ship, of independent guard members on opposite sides thereof and spaced laterally therefrom, a series of upper booms pivoted adjacent to the upper edge of the hull and connected to the upper edge of the guard member on: either side, a series of lower booms pivoted to the lower portion of the hull below the pivots for the upper booms, the lower booms being longer than the upper booms and eX- tending downwardly as vwell as laterally, hoisting devices carried by the ship and connected to the upper booms to hoist the saine into vertical position and initiate the hoisting of the lower booms, and a series of hoisting lines connected permanently to the lower booms and movably associated with the respective upper booms, the hoisting lines being adapted to be connected to the hoisting means whereby the lower booms are swung completely into vertical position subsequent to the hoisting of the upper booms, the guard member at this time being folded and held snugly against the side of the hull by means of the lower longer booms.

ERIK MATTSON.

Copies o this patent may be obtained for ve cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C. 

